When Fairies Love
by bloodylucy
Summary: This is supposed to become a collection of several one-shots of Fairy Tail pairings. Starting up with a NaLu :)


_Hello and welcome to my first NaLu :)_

_I wrote this for NaLu Week, check it out on nalu-week tumblr com (fill in the dots)  
_

_It was really convenient for me, to be honest, since I wanted to start writing Fairy Tail Love Stories for quite a while now anyway ^^_

_So here's my fanfiction for the prompt "Fairy Tale" _

_I hope you like it :)_

**_Disclaimer:_**_Fairy Tail and the Characters belong to Hiro Mashima._

* * *

**The princess and the dragon**

Once upon a time, in a land far far away from here, there was a small kingdom, known as the most beautiful and wealthiest kingdom far and wide. The king of this kingdom was called Heartfilia, a man as cold as ice and heartless disregarding his name. Rumor had it, that the only reason for his wealth was his daughter, a girl as lucent as the sun who was born with magic in her soul. The princess had the ability to yarn straw to gold, so it was told, and she was doing this every day until her fingers were sore and bleeding to content her strict father.

Her name was Lucy, because her hair was shining golden and everyone felt happy in her presence, as if the sun was rising behind the horizon and soaking everything in warm, comfortable light.

Yet, on her seventeenth birthday the princess decided to oppose her father, only once and only for few hours, and sneaked outside the castle. She slipped through the defenses, climbed over walls and tricked the guards, only to feel the cold wind on her face the very first time, to feel the soft grass beneath her toes.

But this happiness she felt in those few hours shouldn't last long, as the long fingers of evil men all over the land reached out for the fair maiden and her convenient ability.

The longest fingers belonged to a wizard whose all interest laid in money and who would do anything to achieve it. He had read in his crystal ball long before the princess had known herself, that she would leave the guarding castle walls that day, and so he had only needed to wait for her.

Before she could even realize what was to happen, he had already had her in his merciless grip.

And there our story begins. In a tower, high up in the air. In a small room beneath its ceiling, without stairs so no human could ever reach it. With nothing but masses of straw, a spinning wheel, and a young princess with tender white skin, but rough blood red hands. And not to mention the huge fire dragon protecting the tower, a creature tamed by the magic of the wizard.

Days past, weeks and months, while Lucy was spinning and spinning steadily, fearing the wizard would come and kill her if she didn't.

Many men came to rescue her, many knights her father had sent.

They rushed to the tower, driven by the scent of gold and the idea of a wife who could provide with more than they could ever spend.

Yet none of them could come even close to her, as the fire dragon defeated them all and put them to rout.

So Lucy went on spinning in her tower, not knowing what frightened her more: The idea of spinning her fingers to ruin in here or to be bound to a husband who saw her only as cash cow.

But what did it matter anyway? She was used to it, being reduced to her ability. No one loved her for the person she really was, no one even cared. Not even her father..

Thinking about it, a tear ran down her cheeks. Lucy had never thought about her ability as a gift of god like her father had declared it. To her it was nothing but a curse making her stick to the spinning wheel for the rest of her life.

Never before anyone had seen her cry. The dragon was the first one to watch her as he leered through a small window into the room.

The pitiful sight made his heart ache. He, too, was a victim of the evil wizard.  
Once he had been a proud, free dragon traveling the world as he liked to. But he had been too arrogant, too careless and before he had known it he had been running right into the wizards trap, leaving his soul bound to his will.

He had come to terms with his fate as there wasn't much to fight and live for anyway, but when he saw the pain in the princess' eyes he couldn't bear it that he was the one who was putting her through all this.

He decided that he wanted to cheer her up, to make her life easier and if only for a bit.

So he left the tower for a while when he was sure that no one would come to attack and returned with bandages in his claws.

He flew to the biggest window in the tower, which was still only big enough for his claws to fit through, and held the bandages in the room where the princess was sitting and spinning.

At first, she was scared to death by the huge razor-sharp claws reaching for her and screamed her head off, but then she saw the white long pieces of cloth looking ridiculously small hanging down the huge dragon claws.

Reluctantly she took them and flinched when the dragon dragged his claw back out of the window.

The next moment a giant eye appeared, looking at her from outside. Lucy gulped, her heart was beating so fast it nearly overturned in her fear. She nodded shivering to thank the dragon for his gentle gesture.

The dragon nodded back slightly. That was when she noticed the pure kindness in the dragon's eyes, the pity and the happiness that he had done something to help her.

Lucy was confused. It was the first time someone looked at her with such a warm expression. She didn't know how to react, but she suddenly felt so happy that she smiled at the dragon automatically.

And the dragon, at least that's what Lucy thought to see, smiled back at her. Never before in her life she had felt such happiness. But this thought didn't stay long in her mind. She must have been imagining things, she told herself.

This was going on for a couple of months. Every time the dragon smelled no human soul far and wide, he took off to some places not too far away and returned with a little present for the princess. Most of the time it was just small things like flowers, but Lucy was thrilled about anything.

She barely knew the world outside her room with the spinning wheel, flowers were a mysterious, beautiful and good smelling wonder to her.

Soon, the dragon and the princess had become friends. For the princess, it was an unbelievable happiness she had never dreamed of, that there was someone who wanted to see her smile, who liked her for the person she was and not for her ability. She didn't care that this person wasn't even a person at all but a huge fire spitting dragon.

And the dragon.. well the dragon never let on his true thoughts and his true feelings for the princess. But if his scales could blush, he'd be fire read in the face every time the princess smiled at him. His heart beat went up and his head felt dizzy every time he was close to her.

Yet, in all this time they spent together, they never said a single word. They only communicated by nodding and smiling, sometimes the princess reached out her hands through the window and caressed the dragon's nostrils. But she never said a single word to him.

Why should she? He was a dragon. There was no way he'd understand, right? There was no way he'd answer, right?

Even though the princess was still forced to spin day and night and the dragon was bound to protect her and to chase away the knights who came to rescue her, those two could have kept on living like this forever. They both had never felt less lonely before.

But then came the day, when it should all change forever.

That day the dragon took off and flew away, further away than he had ever been. And he didn't return for hours. The princess got worried, her concentration faded, her heart fluttered and she started to make mistakes.

The spinning needle pierced her skin and the gold she span turned red.

Tears ran down her cheeks.

What if he wouldn't return? What if he was killed? She couldn't bear the mere thought of it. Her heart was aching.

Nothing could describe the relief she felt, when the big body appeared at the horizon and the wide wings carried the dragon gracefully back into her direction.

His eyes were shining in anticipation and nervousness, he was racing towards the tower as fast as he could.  
What would he bring her this time? It had to be something greater than all the other things he had brought her up until now.

She ran to the window and smiled at him. The dragon floated in front of the tower, his claws tightened hard like he was holding there something far too small for him to carry.

The princess looked at his claws curiously and waited for the dragon to show her what he had brought her. But the dragon hesitated. And when he had finally built up his courage to give it to her, it had already been too late.

Only one second of weakness, one second of defenselessness had been enough for the huge iron lance to pierce the dragon's back.

He roared in pain, the princess' eyes gaped terrified as the dragon sank down to the earth looking around for the origin of the attack.

And there she stood. A female body armored from the toes to the forehead, only long, scarlet hair bound to a ponytail were sticking out the iron mail.

"I've come to punish you, dragon, and to rescue the princess!", the female knight said.

The dragon roared again, this time in anger, and spit a fire column at the knight. She dodged swiftly, without breaking a sweat and drew her sword to lunge another attack.

Lucy gasped. It was obvious that she was the strongest knight who had come here up until now. No one before had been able to even touch the dragon.

The dragon tried to hit her with his claw, the other one was still clenched tightly around his present, but again it was no use. The knight made a step to the side and drove her sword in the dragon's neck. Again he roared in pain and Lucy's heart felt like it was about to burst.  
This was looking really bad. Without thinking she let her eyes wander across her small room, with nothing but the spinning wheel and the straw and started to throw the straw out of the window.

It was lots of straw and it was heavy, but she grabbed it and dragged it to the window tireless, while the dragon beneath was fighting a death match.

"Stop it!", Lucy cried, but her voice didn't reach the ground and the knight went on mercilessly intending to kill the dragon.

Then, when the last straw had hit the ground, the princess grabbed a lit torch, stepped determined on the window ledge and stared into the intimidating depth. Her heart was overturning in fear, but when she saw the dragon lying worn out on the ground and the scarlet haired knight raising her sword for the finishing blow, she jumped without hesitation.

The fall was deep. The landing was hard. But like a miracle, the princess survived it unharmed, landing in the masses of straw she had thrown out before.

"STOP IT!", she yelled, "Don't harm him!"

The knight stopped amidst his attack and looked startled at Lucy.

"Princess! How...?"

Tears ran down Lucy's cheeks. Tears so big she had never cried before in her life.

"Please.. don't kill him. I don't want to return to my father's castle. I want to stay with him.. even if it means spinning straw in this tower for the rest of my life."

The knight was confused. She didn't understand. Him? The dragon?!

"Orders are orders!", she answered, raised her sword again against the dragon and flinched.

The dragon, having lied capitulating on the ground just a moment ago, now was standing again ignoring all his wounds, with a burning look in his eyes.

"Fire dragon!", Lucy screamed holding the torch up, "Is it true you restore your power by eating flames?"

Without waiting for an answer she threw the torch in the giant mountain of straw and watched it catching fire and burning high in no time.

The dragon took a deep, deep breath and inhaled all the flames at once, then his whole body emitted huge columns of flames, his appearance looking like a devil straightly from hell.

The knight took a few steps back, clearly shocked. Lucy stared at the dragon with gaped eyes, but not in fear. To her he looked like an angel.

Proudly, the dragon raised his head and roared once again. A roar so earsplitting, so graceful, so superior, so beautiful the surroundings, the treas of the forests and everything being seen up to the horizon bowed down in esteem.

The knight tightened her grasp around her sword and took another look at Lucy's glistening eyes staring delighted and smitten and the ignited dragon.

Without another word she turned around and ran away. Was it fear that drove her back? Or was it that she no longer was sure that she was doing the right thing?

The princess and the dragon should never come to know the answer.

As the knight disappeared between the trees, sure never to return, the dragon's aura calmed down again. The flames emitted by his scales slowly went out, his burning eyes were now filled by easement.

Lucy ran towards the dragon and raised her hand up to his head. He bowed down and laid his head on the ground so the princess could caress his nostrils like she used to.

"I'm so glad.. you're alright..", she whispered to him, tears running down her cheeks again.

The dragon nudged her a bit with his head as if to say 'Cheer up!' and she laughed instantly at this cute move.

Therefore, the dragon raised his head again and looked at her with such warm and loving eyes no one had ever looked at her with before.

He pulled his claw up and held it before her. The claw was still tightly holding something even after the long and hard fight. As if he had been protecting whatever he had brought her with his life.

Now Lucy's curiosity was awakened once again. She, too, held her hands up and formed them to a bowl.

The claws opened up right above the small, decent hands of the princess and something small, shining golden appeared in the air, spinning around itself as it fell.

Only when it landed in the hands of the princess, she could make out what it was: A small golden ring.

She flinched. Her hand started shaking and her eyes became wet again.

"Is this..? Are you asking me...?"

She searched the eyes of the dragon who was looking at her, his nervousness and fear hidden behind a gaze of determination.

The princess clenched her fist around the ring and stared at the ground.

She felt great happiness and desperation at the same time. She loved the dragon more than anyone else in this world and she wanted to stay by his side forever. But what would the future hold for them? A dragon and a human? Captivated in this tower, what would happen when the wizard returned here and saw the burnt straw? What would be his punishment? Was there even a future they could look forward to?

She nodded to the dragon to show him that she wanted him to bow his head again. He did so and she caressed his nostrils once again.

Then, suddenly and to the dragon's great surprise, she closed her eyes and put her lips on his nostrils and drowned in her thoughts.

She dreamed of a life, where she was an usual woman without title and magic. If she just could, she'd give up her ability immediately. If it was the prize she had to pay to stay with her beloved fire dragon.

She thought about the moment when the straw in her fingers turned to a fine string of gold, she thought about the glimmering light it emitted the moment it changed it's appearance. And for one second she imagined that she was seeing that light, right now through her closed eyelids.

Lucy dragged her head back again and slowly opened her eyes, only to leave them gaped in surprise.

There was the light, she saw it right before her eyes. The dragon was engulfed in it from the toes to his horns. He looked at himself in confusion, turned around and tried to figure out what was going on with him as he slowly started shrinking.

His scales were disappearing, his horns, his wings, his tail. And suddenly the light got brighter, so bright Lucy got blended and closed her eyes, holding her hands up to protect them.

As the light had disappeared and she opened her eyes again, she just couldn't trust them.

The dragon was no longer there, it was gone and at his place now stood a young man, barely Lucy's age. He had salmon red hair, the color of the dragon's scales, beautiful black eyes and teeth looking a bit like fangs. Around his neck was a scarf reminding of a dragon's skin.

He looked surprised at his hands and down his body. "I'm human..", he whispered to himself.

Lucy's mouth stood open, she didn't get what was happening in front of her.

"D-dragon..?", she asked reluctantly.

The boy looked up to her.

"My name is Natsu", he said, "and yes, I've been a dragon until now.."

He smiled at her broadly. It was such a warm smile, Lucy's heart beat went up when she saw it and her face turned read.

"I guess.. your magic has turned me into a human. Like it turns straw to gold."

Lucy didn't know what to answer. It felt so unreal, like in a dream.

Natsu walked towards her, never failing to smile.

"I'm so happy. Now I can finally talk to you. Now I can finally be the equal of you. Now I can finally.."

He reached for her hand and took the ring out of it, then looked deeply in her eyes.

"Princess..", he started. Lucy realized that she had never given him her name before. How should he know it then?

"It's Lucy..", she muttered, clearly overextended with the situation.

"Lucy..", he smiled like that information made him the happiest man of the world.

"I can no longer feel the magic of the wizard. I'm free. The transformation has set me free again. And you can be free as well if you..", he hesitated for a moment and looked around like he was thinking for a different way to pronounce what he was wishing to say.

"Lucy", he finally started over, "You're like the sun to me. Your smile is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. And now that I've finally been able to hear your voice and your laughter.. Lucy, I'm in love with you. And I know you wouldn't possibly fall in love with a dragon, but I'll ask you anyway: Will you marry me?"

Lucy felt her heart beat in her ears. She felt the hot hand of Natsu holding hers as he waited for her answer.

"Yes", it was all she brought out of her shaking lips, "Yes, I'd love to."

Natsu was staring at her a few minutes with a look which was somewhere between limitless happiness and disbelief until he remembered what he was supposed to do in such a moment.

Without letting his eyes of Lucy's, he took the ring and put it on her finger, caressed her burning cheek with his hand and dragged her towards him as they melted in a passionate kiss.

The new couple ran away from the tower hand in hand. Neither the wizard nor the king had ever found them. They wouldn't have had the need to anyway, since Lucy had never possessed the ability to spin straw to gold again after that day. But she didn't regret it even the slightest.

Since she and Natsu lived happily ever after.


End file.
